In his press conference, Blaszczak thanked the Allied forces for their solidarity during the mixed offensive on Poland’s eastern border. The minister said that the mission of the British and Estonian squadrons had already begun on the Polish-Belarus border.
He said that negotiations are currently underway to support additional soldiers involved in protecting the Polish border, specifically the participation of Hungarian and Czech military units.
We will discuss when and in what form we will receive support
– added the Polish Minister of National Defense.
Blaszczak would be considered the “best solution” from Warsaw if the Hungarian and Czech soldiers did the maintenance of the wire fence erected on the Belarusian border, which was damaged during the siege of migrants, as well as the maintenance of border roads.
The expedition to Poland, which began on Thursday with the participation of about 155 Britons and 150 Estonians, was given a task similar to the one mentioned by the minister. About 12,000 Polish soldiers have so far been deployed to assist the Polish border guards.
Illegal immigrants have been arriving at the eastern borders of European Union member states bordering Belarus, along with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia for months. Since the beginning of the year, nearly 40,000 attempted border violations have been recorded on the Belarusian-Polish border. In recent weeks, foreigners have repeatedly tried to enter Polish territory en masse, while militants from Belarus have carried out a series of provocations, according to the Polish border guards.
In addition to the current wire fence, Poland will erect a 5-meter-high steel wall on the common border with Belarus by the middle of next year. The border area has remained in a state of emergency since the beginning of September, and most of the relevant measures, including entry bans, have been replaced by a decision of the Minister of Interior issued the previous evening.
The decree was issued this week to amend the border guard law. The law recently allowed accredited journalists to work in the border area. In this regard, a press center was opened on Friday in the village of Poplawce near the border.
Cover image source: MTI / Kelemen Zoltán Gergely
